Her abdomen had been cut open and the baby girl stolen, later to be found in the possession of Corey in a homeless shelter in Plymouth, New Hampshire.

Corey maintained that she had played no part in the murder of Haynes, but after two days and 10 hours of deliberation the jurors, at Worcester superior court in Massachusetts, convicted her of first-degree murder.

The boyfriend of Corey, Alex Dion, testified that he was given the impression that his girlfriend was pregnant, believing that the new baby girl was his own daughter when she was brought home.

Corey is due to be sentenced on Tuesday. Her lawyers said they planned to appeal the verdict.

The four-year-old child is now being looked after by her biological father.